WATCH: Wayne Gretzky's first reaction to Alex Ovechkin as he breaks "The Great One's" historic goal record

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin surpassed Wayne Gretzky's goalscoring record on Sunday. Playing against the New York Islanders, "The Great 8" scored the Capitals' first goal of the night at 7:26 of the second period on a power play from the left face-off circle.

The Hockey News posted a short clip on X (formerly Twitter) that showed Gretzky jumping to his feet and applauding as soon as the Russian forward buried the puck into the net. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, next to Gretzky, also lauded the historic moment.

"Wayne Gretzky and Gary Bettman’s reaction to OV’s record-breaking goal," the post caption read.

Ovechkin collected a sideways pass from Capitals' center Tom Wilson, steadied himself and slammed the puck past Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin. He then skated to center ice before being mobbed by his team, prompting a referee time-out. The NHL posted a highlight reel of the moment on X:

"ALEX OVECHKIN. FROM HIS OFFICE. BECAUSE OF COURSE."

The camera also cut to Ovechkin's wife, Anastasia Shubskaya, in the immediate aftermath of his historic goal.

Gretzky had been attending all the Capitals games this week in anticipation of Ovechkin breaking his record. Bettman presented Ovechkin with a special painting to mark his unprecedented achievement during an on-ice ceremony at UBS Arena.

The oil painting on canvas (5 feet by 3½ feet) shows Ovechkin lifting the Stanley Cup in 2018 in the background. In the foreground, the Russian forward is taking one of his famous one-timers.

Ovechkin had tied Gretzky's goal record on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks. He also had a chance to break the record that night when the Blackhawks pulled their goalie, but he declined to do so.

"I didn't put pressure on myself a lot, and I was enjoying this moment and I'm still enjoying it. It's such a great moment for hockey," Ovechkin said on Friday via NHL.com.

Wayne Gretzky was surprised at Alex Ovechkin's refusal to score on Friday

Gretzky and Ovechkin attended a joint press conference after Friday's game, where "The Great One" ribbed the Russian at passing up the chance to break the scoring record.

“I’m so proud that we’re tied. I can live with that for 24 more hours,” Gretzky said.

Ovechkin explained his reasoning behind not taking the chance:

“I tell him I don't want the empty net,” he said.

Gretzky responded quickly with a ready quip.

“OK. I’ll take every empty net goal I can get, and I know you would too,” he said.

Ovechkin has scored 42 goals in 61 games this season.